ATLANTA -- Amid growing concern about the rise in hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), McKesson Provider Technologies and the Clorox Company today announced a strategic relationship focused on helping customers enhance patient safety. Clorox and McKesson together will develop and promote disinfection protocols for mobile equipment and handheld electronic devices. These devices which include computers on wheels, tablet PCs, mobile medication cabinets, and hand-held bar-code scanners for medication administration, specimen tracking and blood verification are commonly used by clinicians in and between patient rooms.
McKesson will team with the Clorox Company to offer jointly developed disinfection protocols in conjunction with McKessons Patient Care Advantage solution. The solution, which drives a one patient, one care team, one plan approach to care delivery, is designed to enable hospitals to provide safer, more efficient care. More than 2 million clinicians nationwide rely on McKesson solutions, and each year more than 100 million medications are scanned at the bedside using McKesson solutions. The Clorox Company manufactures a complete line of hospital-grade surface-disinfecting products and alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
McKesson is the only single-source provider of integrated software, automation, packaging, distribution and consulting solutions that help organizations improve efficiency and prevent medication errors at each stage where they can occur, said Mary Beth Navarra, RN, MBA, chief patient safety officer for McKesson Provider Technologies. Our solutions also address broader patient safety issues by helping to improve communication among caregivers, reduce variability in care and develop a metric-driven culture focused on performance improvement, said Navarra. Infection control is a key element of patient safety. By collaborating with Clorox, we can help customers lower the risk of inadvertently transporting harmful microorganisms among patient rooms.
For example, surfaces that are touched frequently such as door knobs, bed rails, mobile devices and lavatories may accumulate microbes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which recommends adhering to a regular schedule of cleaning and disinfection as an important adjunct measure to hand hygiene.
Surface disinfection and proper hand hygiene both provide necessary lines of defense for helping to reduce the spread of pathogens that can lead to hospital-acquired infections, said Craig Stevenson, general manager of Clorox Professional Products. In working closely with hospitals, weve found that explicit protocols for disinfection are very important to ensuring compliance and reducing the risk of infection.
Recent studies have shown that educational interventions can significantly increase cleaning rates of frequently touched surfaces (Carling et al, Clin Infect Dis, 2006; Carling et al Amer J Infect Control, 2006; and Carling et al. J Hosp Infect, 2008).
Healthcare providers purchase technology to improve patient safety and reduce medical errors, said Navarra. By working with the Clorox Company, we want to help customers take the needed precautions to maintain safer environments.
Source: McKesson Corporation and the Clorox Company
Â
Â
CDC Urges Vigilance: New Recommendations for Monitoring and Testing H5N1 Exposures
July 11th 2025With avian influenza A(H5N1) infections surfacing in both animals and humans, the CDC has issued updated guidance calling for aggressive monitoring and targeted testing to contain the virus and protect public health.
A Helping Hand: Innovative Approaches to Expanding Hand Hygiene Programs in Acute Care Settings
July 9th 2025Who knew candy, UV lights, and a college kid in scrubs could double hand hygiene adherence? A Pennsylvania hospital’s creative shake-up of its infection prevention program shows that sometimes it takes more than soap to get hands clean—and keep them that way.
How Contaminated Is Your Stretcher? The Hidden Risks on Hospital Wheels
July 3rd 2025Despite routine disinfection, hospital surfaces, such as stretchers, remain reservoirs for harmful microbes, according to several recent studies. From high-touch areas to damaged mattresses and the effectiveness of antimicrobial coatings, researchers continue to uncover persistent risks in environmental hygiene, highlighting the critical need for innovative, continuous disinfection strategies in health care settings.